Physical activity and risk of sudden cardiac death in individuals at high risk for cardiovascular disease

BACKGROUND: Regular physical exercise is recommended for lowering the risk of coronary events and all-cause mortality. However, there is a variety of exercise options, and their relative effectiveness and hierarchy remain unclear. Herein, we present a systematic review and meta-analysis protocol that aims to compare the impact of different types of physical activity on the risk of sudden cardiac death. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: English language articles reporting on randomized controlled trials will be searched in MEDLINE, Cochrane Library, CINAHL, and PubMed databases by two reviewers. A snowball approach will be used for literature retrieval. Reviewers will independently screen the literature, extract data, evaluate study quality and risk of bias, and perform a meta-analysis. In the presence of heterogeneity, a random effects model will be used for meta-analysis; otherwise, a fixed effect model will be used. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: This study is a secondary analysis and does not require ethical review. The results of this study will be disseminated through peer-reviewed publications, journals, and academic conferences and other forms of exchange. SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REGISTRATION NUMBER: INPLASY202140033.